


The Truth Hurts

by bgn_846



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Magic Revealed, a little fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 01:35:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29127330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bgn_846/pseuds/bgn_846
Summary: Arthurs follows Merlin out in the woods one night only to discover his secret. Battling with his emotions Arthur has to decide how to deal with the truth.
Relationships: Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Kudos: 38





	The Truth Hurts

**Author's Note:**

> I tripped and stumbled into the wonderful world of Merlin a couple of months ago. So here we go this is my first fic for Merlin. *super nervous* Hoping I've got the vibe down right. Please enjoy! 
> 
> I started writing for FFXV so if you like that too then feel free to go check out my other [AO3 page](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bgn846/works/)

Scrambling away Arthur sought safety behind a large boulder. The blast of magic he’d narrowly avoided left a barren black mark on the forest floor. The fight playing out before his very eyes was not one he was meant to engage in. This didn’t stop the rage he was feeling, it stayed strong boiling away in his psyche. The person he thought he knew was a liar. Merlin was a sorcerer, had been for a long time based on what he was seeing. 

Pushing his hurt aside he quickly leaned out to look when a loud shout sounded in the woods. Merlin was on the ground but still moving. The man fighting with Merlin was powerful, but couldn’t seem to stop his manservant. Some part of Arthurs’ brain wanted to run out and defend Merlin; instead, he remained frozen in place watching as Merlin’s life hung on the line.

The longer he sat crouched there, hidden away, the angrier he became. How could he not have seen this? Why had he missed the signs? Watching as Merlin once again hauled his lean frame upright; Arthur finally heard the reason for the clash of sorcerers.

“Camelot must fall! There is no other way! Uther must pay for his crimes!”

Of course, it was always about his father, the great purge of magic had done nothing but stir up tensions. Magic was evil after all, this was proof enough!

“I won’t -- let you!” Merlin answered with a labored breath.

“You’re not fairing very well, I grow tired of this,” the man spit as he stepped forward and raised his hands.

“You will not win!” Merlin shouted as he took a defensive stance.

The evening had not gone as planned; Arthur had only wanted to find out why Merlin was late coming back to the castle. He had choirs to do and dinner had not been laid out, figuring the reason would lead him to the tavern Arthur had been surprised when he’d caught sight of his servant heading out into the woods as the sun dipped below the tree line.

Expecting something mundane Arthur had been more than surprised when he stumbled upon Merlin talking to the man currently trying to kill him. All it had taken was one voiced threat towards Camelot and they’d begun to fight. Granted the stranger had thrown the first punch as it were. Merlin hadn’t seen Arthur approach and with his hidden position, he was sure his presence was still unknown. He was simply an unwilling participant in this match of magic users.

Neither man had moved but the winds around the forest were picking up to a rather alarming level. Forced to duck his head to avoid getting whipped in the head with loose branches and pebbles, Arthur couldn’t see what happened next.

He could hear shouting in some foreign tongue; one voice he knew was Merlin’s. It pained him to hear his friend speak this way. How could kind-hearted Merlin be evil? The winds were only getting stronger as he huddled down to save from getting blown away. The sound was deafening as the winds picked up, working to take a breath Arthur could only pray it would stop. A small part of him hoped Merlin would win, but that idea was followed by such heartache he had to ignore the thought. Then, when he could stand no more the winds died down and the forest was plunged into a deathly quiet.

Unsure as to whether he wanted to know what lay on the other side of the boulder; he slowly stood and peered out cautiously. There, standing in a mass of broken trees and branches was Merlin. Scanning the woods, Arthur saw no sign of the other man save a rather ominous dark mark opposite Merlin, painted against the ground.

He had no time to formulate a proper thought when Merlin turned towards him and froze. The part of his brain that had been conditioned to fight magic kicked into gear. Drawing his sword he stepped forward only to stop when Merlin looked at him with the most pained expression he’d ever seen on his manservant.

“M’sorry, m’so sorry, Arthur – I--.”

Arthur had no time to react when Merlin trailed off and stumbled slightly; his eyes rolling up into his head as he collapsed backward on the forest floor. Sword still in hand he closed the distance between them. The boy’s breathing was shallow and he was covered in small cuts and bruises.

Raising his sword arm he faltered, this is what his father would want, but that didn’t mean it was right. Merlin had never wronged him, and here he stood ready to end his life, why? Merlin had clearly defended Camelot from an evil force. The fact that he’d been lied to for years suddenly reared its ugly head. Surely, that was reason enough, he couldn’t trust Merlin now, or could he?

Advancing slowly he examined Merlin in the dying light. The moon wasn’t yet up, making the place seem more unsettling than it should be. When it became clear that Merlin wasn’t going to wake up anytime soon, Arthur fell to his knees in defeat. He’d been betrayed by his one true friend. That stung.

He found that he couldn’t look at his servant; otherwise, his emotions would rise up and threaten to choke him. It wasn’t until his own knees began aching did he think to check Merlin for other injuries. He’d been so ready to cut him down after the fight; he wasn’t sure what to do next. Swallowing hard Arthur released his grip on his sword and shuffled forward.

The moon had just begun to rise and was shining like a beacon. The wind storm from earlier had opened a clearing in the forest. In the pale light, Arthur was able to see the damage Merlin had sustained. There was a gash on his temple and his tunic was torn revealing a sizable bruise on his abdomen. Overcome with grief Arthur quickly looked away. That’s what using magic did to you, it hurt you! Part of him knew this wasn’t entirely true but he was too riled up to care.

Gingerly reaching out Arthur moved Merlin’s tunic aside to get a better look. His breath hitched, instead of the one visible bruise, the prince could see a collection of older scars littering Merlin’s torso. What had his servant been up to all this time? The unhelpful part of his brain instantly supplied that he’d been out fighting other sorcerers. All the times he’d been told that Merlin was at the tavern came to mind, maybe he’d been out fighting, saving Camelot.

Shaking his head Arthur was almost afraid to look closer. Medical training he’d acquired over the years meant he’d have to do a more thorough check to be certain Merlin wasn’t dying. However, that idea merely made Arthur feel worse. Why should he care about Merlin dying, he was ready to use his sword against him earlier. Or he thought he was, Arthur couldn’t quite replay that moment without starting to have a panic attack. Merlin was his friend, he owed him this much. He deserved to live his life out away from this place.

Banishment.

That would work, he’d be guilt-free, right?

Arthur was left feeling sick after he finished checking Merlin for further injuries; of course, his back was just the same as his front. Covered in old battle scars that someone as innocent as Merlin shouldn’t have, it wasn’t right.

The moon was now high in the night sky and Arthur was still struggling with his emotions. Resigned to waiting, Arthur sat by Merlin, his shoulders slumped as he took in the sight of his friend passed out in the dirt. They had no horses to carry them back and Arthur knew he’d be unable to carry an unconscious Merlin the whole way.

By all accounts, he should be sequestered in his rooms ready for bed, not out in the forest wishing he’d never come outside. Hoping Merlin would rouse before a patrol wandered through, Arthur worked on how he was going to tell Merlin to leave. It was harder than he realized. Merlin had become an integral part of his life. Greeting him each day and being there to support him as he bettered himself. 

“Why Merlin? Why didn’t you tell me?” Arthur asked to the still form before him. Silence was his answer.

Hours later, Merlin finally groaned and moved. Arthur watched as he woke, exhaustion giving way to fear the moment he laid eyes on him.

“R’thur, m’sorry, please make it quick, please don’t make me burn.” Merlin gasped out as he worked to sit up, the action clearly causing him pain.

Everything stopped working in Arthur’s brain; Merlin wanted a swift death that was his first thought after waking up?! “What? I’m – I’m not going to kill you.” Arthur stuttered.

“Just make it quick,” he repeated again, eyes locked on the ground.

“I told you I’m not going to kill you! Nor will I let anyone else do it either!” Taking a calming breath Arthur lowered his voice. “I’ve been thinking, you’ll simply leave, that way you’ll be safe, away from Camelot.”

“NO!” Merlin shouted as he leaned forward unsteadily, his gaze lifting upwards. “My place is with you, I won’t leave you!”

“Idiot! Don’t you realize what that means? You have magic, it isn’t safe in Camelot!”

“You’ll have to kill me first, I won’t leave you!”

Sighing loudly Arthur almost felt like they were bickering back in his chambers. The feeling disappeared just as quickly and he was left staring at his wounded manservant. “Why?” he uttered without emotion. “Just tell me why.”

Clutching his stomach Merlin looked confused for a moment. “I didn’t want to make you choose. Between your own ideals and those of your father, it didn’t seem fair.”

Blinking slowly, Arthur wasn’t expecting that answer. Of course, selfless Merlin would think of him first, even in a matter as serious as this. Oddly this admission gave him some peace of mind. There was one more thing, one more thing that he almost didn’t want to know the answer to. “Would you have ever told me?”

Merlin pursed his lips together and bowed his head. “Sire, I – believe me, I wanted to so many times. I was afraid.”

“So you don’t know,” Arthur replied glumly.

“I didn’t want to lose your friendship, I was scared,” Merlin stated again.

Something broke inside Arthur as he listened to Merlin. What kind of friend had he been if Merlin was worried about telling him the truth? “No more lies, starting now, is that clear?” he commanded with a hard look.

“So you won’t try and banish me?”

“I don’t think you’d leave anyway,” Arthur grumbled. “But, you must promise me, no more lies – agreed?”

“Yes, yes, I swear.”

“Good, now let’s get you back to the castle.”

Merlin faltered slightly and licked his lips, “Where exactly in the castle?”

“Gaius’ of course,” Arthur paused and took in sight before him, Merlin was shaking slightly and was wearing an expression of uncertainty. The realization of what Merlin was alluding to hit him like cold water. “I’m not going to throw you in the dungeons, or the stocks,” he added after a moment.

“I’d go if you ordered me but --,” Merlin stopped and squeezed his eyes shut in discomfort.

“You need to rest in your own bed and recover. I’m not going to hurt you, Merlin. I thought I was supposed to based on what my father always says about magic, but I can’t, I can’t harm you, Merlin.”

“Thank you sire,” Merlin offered humbly.

“Come on, let’s get going.” The walk back to the castle was slow going, but eventually, the turrets of the gatehouse came into view. The guards were alarmed at their late arrival but bought the story of bandits in the woods at night without question. Arthur made sure to loudly berate his manservant for going out so late to pick herbs. Who knew what lurked in the woods after dark. At least this way when he made a false report to his father the next day, things would fit into place. He could only pray no one would find the windswept clearing before then.

Unawares of the hour, Arthur made his way to the physician’s quarters. Merlin needed medical attention, seeing as how he’d spent hours out in the forest doing nothing but waiting. They were halfway up the stairs to merlin’s bed when Gaius roused from his cot in the corner.

“Merlin? Is that you?”

“Gaius, we need your help,” Arthur instructed as he continued. Carefully helping Merlin down onto his own bed Arthur went about lighting candles to see. Gaius joined them a moment later and gasped at the sight of his ward.

“What happened?”

“He fought another sorcerer and won,” he answered calmly.

“Please don’t punish Gaius, he didn’t know,” Merlin rasped as he tried to push himself up off the bed.

“I’m not going to punish anyone Merlin, lie still.” His manservant wouldn’t calm so Arthur sat on the edge of the bed and held his shoulders. “I meant what I said in the woods, I won’t harm you, that goes for Gaius as well.”

“I’m sorry Arthur, I didn’t want to lie to you.”

“I know, will you please calm down so we can tend to your injuries?”

Merlin weakly nodded and looked away. When they began treating the bruises and scratches Arthur again had a hard time taking it all in. Seeing all of Merlin’s scars once more made him feel sick. Leaning away to take a breath he caught Merlin eyeing him sadly from where he was still seated on the bed. Gaius was applying a poultice to a rather nasty bruise on his back at that very moment.

“ _Mer_ lin, I’m not upset with you so much as angry about not realizing the truth sooner. Don’t look so wounded.”

“I am wounded, how would you have me look?” Merlin asked with a hint of sass.

Unable to keep the smile off his face, Arthur simply sighed and shook his head. “Give me some time, we’ll get through this together I swear.” For the first time that night Arthur saw a genuine smile appear on Merlin’s lips. Without thinking he leaned in and gently gathered Merlin in his arms. Gaius’ appreciative look meant he’d done the right thing.

His manservant sagged into the embrace and hugged him back. “Thank you for coming to find me, it means a lot.”

“As you said, you’re not going to leave me and I won’t leave you.”

“Guess we’re stuck with each other huh?” Merlin queried.

“I’d miss having you by my side Merlin, you’re my best friend.” Arthur meant every word, despite his muddled thoughts in the forest; he knew he would have never been able to hurt Merlin. With the truth no longer hidden, Arthur felt lighter. Whatever came to pass they’d tackle it together.

**Author's Note:**

> Check me out on tumblr if you want. Just mostly FFXV stuff with some random dribbles. [BGN846 Blog](https://bgn846.tumblr.com/)
> 
> or Twitter [ BGN846 Twitter](https://twitter.com/BGN846?lang=en)
> 
> Please don't copy or plagiarize my work. Thanks! Disclaimer: I don’t own Merlin(TV) or any of its contents.


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